System for displaying graphical narrations

ABSTRACT

An online network collects a dataset of an individual&#39;s information through a computer-implemented method. An individual enters a dataset of the information and a plurality of an individual&#39;s life events into a computer system. The dataset is arranged and converted into a graphical representation for display. The online database receives and stores the dataset. The database associates the dataset with the plurality of the member&#39;s life events and then the dataset and the life events are outputted into the graphical representation for display for a witness.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/249,481, filed on Oct. 7, 2009 and U.S. Provisional Application No.61/310,993, filed on Mar. 5, 2010. The entire disclosure of each of theabove applications is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an online network and moreparticularly to an online network system for a computer using graphicalpresentations of an individual's life story, and the spatial and virtualinteraction of the individuals with other individuals or organizations.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not acomprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

The present disclosure provides a computer system for entering, storing,and displaying a dataset of an individual or member's information to anonline database, and more specifically arranges and converts the datasetinto a graphical representation for display. The system includes a userinterface, such as a graphical user interface, for a member to enter thepre-narrative information. The information generally describes amember's life story by life events. For example, a life event could bewhen the member was born, graduated from high school, married, or passedaway.

The system includes a database for storing a dataset of a member'sinformation. The database arranges the dataset into chronological orderand associates the dataset with a plurality of life events of a member'slife. The dataset and life events are outputted into a graphicalrepresentation. For example, a graphical representation illustrates thedataset and life events using a combination of pictures and text tocreate a visual narration of a member's life thread.

The visual narration can be viewed by other members of the socialnetwork or database. The other members can act as a witness and providea comment regarding the life event, thus causing interaction betweenLifeThreads. The comment is displayed separate from the visualnarration. Prior to the comment being displayed, the comment isvalidated. Validation of a life event can occur if a witness also has avisual narration and comments on the event or provides documentaryevidence.

Disclosed is a method of implementing a method on a network of computerdevices. The method includes entering a first data set of a firstmember's information and a plurality of first member's life events intoa first computer device. The data set is stored at a second data base ata second computer device. At least one of the pluralities of firstmember's life events is validated.

According to the present teachings, validation of the first member'slife events is receiving a second data set of information related to theone of the plurality of first member's life events from a second memberand linking the second data set to the first data set. Further,according to the present teachings, the first data set can be a linkedlist.

Further, according to the present teachings, a system for recording anddisplaying events related to first and second individuals is presented.The system further records interactions between the individuals. Theseinteractions can be life events, emails, interactions, whether virtualor physical.

According to another embodiment, a system for collecting lifeinformation for a deceased individual is presented. The system includesa mechanism for automatically collecting data related to a deceasedindividual.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. The description and specific examples in this summaryare intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended tolimit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of a computer system according to the presentteaching;

FIG. 2 illustrates the types of data stored in the database of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows a dataset of life stages and life events;

FIG. 4 illustrates the chronological arrangement of life events;

FIG. 5 illustrates the steps of outputting the dataset and life eventsinto a life thread;

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrate a visual narration and a witness commentabout a visual narration;

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b illustrate how life event connections and how thatvary from other social networks; and

FIG. 8 provides an example of life events connecting witnesses.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Forexample, used herein, the term member may be interchanged for the termindividual. This individual may or may not have knowledge of thecomputer system described herein. As used herein, the singular forms“a”, “an” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well,unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,”“comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and thereforespecify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps,processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed asnecessarily requiring their performance in the particular orderdiscussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order ofperformance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternativesteps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on”, “engaged to”,“connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element orlayer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engagedto”, “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element orlayer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Otherwords used to describe the relationship between elements should beinterpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directlybetween,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein,the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more ofthe associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein todescribe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections,these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should notbe limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguishone element, component, region, layer or section from another region,layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numericalterms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearlyindicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region,layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element,component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachingsof the example embodiments.

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the components, processsteps, and/or data structures may be implemented using various types ofoperating systems, computing platforms, computer programs, and/orgeneral purpose machines. In addition, those of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that devices of a less general purpose nature, suchas hardwired devices, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or the like, may alsobe used without departing from the scope of the inventive conceptsdisclosed herein.

Referring to FIG. 1, a computer system 10 is shown. The computer system10 incorporates a user interface apparatus 11 within a computer device,for example a graphical user interface (GUI), which connects to theInternet 12. As well know in the art, the user interface 11 is connectedto the Internet 12 through a router 13 and switch 14. A router 13 joinsa local area network (LAN) to the wide-area network (WAN) of theInternet. A switch 14 is the central device in a LAN that directstraffic across the LAN. The firewall 15 blocks unauthorized access tothe computer system while permitting authorized communications. Thedatabase 16, stored on a second computer device, is accessible from thecomputer system through the Internet. The database software 17 can be,for example, a database management system (DBMS). The DBMS is a set ofsoftware programs that controls the organization, storage, management,and retrieval of data in a database. The database storage 18 stores datasuch as information, texts, images, or media files.

FIG. 2 illustrates the types the data 19 that can be stored in thedatabase storage 18 in the form of a linked list. When a memberregisters with the online system data about that member is requested.The data requested is personal information about the member such asaddress, email address, and full name. Additionally, the data 19 canrelate to a physical and virtual location of an individual within spaceand time. In this regard, physical locational data can be acquiredusing, for instance, GPS or mobile electronic device (cell phone)positional information. With respect to virtual locational data, anindividual's virtual presence and connection to a computer system can bestored. In this regard, the connection to social media, chat sessions,or message board systems can be stored. When the interaction of a pairof individuals or members is being reviewed, the member's life story canbe shown in an interactive linear graphical representation. As describedin further detail below, the physical or virtual interaction betweenindividuals can be shown on the graphical representation. Therepresentation of any member of individual's life threads can beinterlinked to another's life thread by common occurrence of events orinteractions through time. These may be, for example, when bothindividuals are linked by being in the same relative location at thesame time, an email from one individual to another, or a link through acomputer network.

After registration is complete a member, using a user interface, entersinformation in the form of a data set describing the member's life storyby life events. For example, the member can enter information relatingto a birth date, a birthday, a wedding and other important moments thatsignify meaningful changes in member's life. A member can, for example,be one's own self, a family member, or a friend of the member. Forexample, a sibling may enter information describing another sibling'slife story by life events. Optionally, portions of an individual's lifecan be described or entered by others or can be collected from officialpreapproved data collection sources. In this regard, the preapproveddata collection sources can be governmental or private databases.Optionally, data can be collected in near real time from data collectionorganizations such as phone or internet companies.

The member's life story is broken down by life stages. The life stagesillustrated in FIG. 3 are Child Development 20, Career 21, Personal Life22, Relationships 23, Experiences 24 and Death 25. The life stage can befurther broken by a particular life event such as birth, graduation,divorce, hobbies, employment, and military service. As illustrated inFIG. 4, when all the life events are entered the events arechronologically ordered by the database to form a life thread. A lifethread is the chronological visual narration of a member's life events.

To enter information, an individual is queried by a first computerdevice, as to the title of an event as well as the content and contextof the story. Optionally, the date the event occurred as well as thecategory which best fits the event can be inputted. The first computerdevice then allows an individual to upload media (photo, video, audio,or data) related to the event. Once uploaded, other individuals cancomment or bear witness to the event. This comment can include anestimate of the likelihood an event occurred. As described herein, themember can use the skeleton key feature to prevent these comments andwitnesses from automatically showing in the event page.

In this regard, with skeleton key feature, the member has the ability tochoose which comments or witnesses will be visible. It is envisioned theskeleton key can be found in the references and dashboard of theapplication. Witnesses can be required to have an account with thesystem. The witness opens the event to be commented on. Optionally, thewitness member can upload additional media to a particular event. Thesystem can allow the witness to textually comment on the media. If theevents skeleton key is on, the witness comments and media is subject toapproval prior to the uploading being publically available.

After the entire member's life events are entered into the database thedataset is associated with the corresponding life event. The dataset andlife events are arranged 26 in chronological order and converted 27 intoa graphical representation. As seen in FIG. 5, the dataset and lifeevent are then outputted into a graphical representation 28 inchronological order into a life thread 29.

Once all the information relating to an individual's life story isentered into the dataset, the database arranges the dataset intochronological order and converts the chronologically ordered datasetinto a graphical representation. FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrate acomputer-implemented method for arranging and converting the datasetinto a graphical representation for display. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3,a member or individual enters a dataset of information and theindividual's life events into a database for storage. The dataset andthe life events are associated by the database and chronologicallyordered. Referring to FIG. 5, the dataset and life event are thenoutputted into a graphical representation 28 in chronological order intoa life thread 29.

As seen in FIG. 6 a, graphical representation is a combination of thephotographs 30 and text 31 a that create a visual narration 32 based ona member's life events. The events of the member's life are describedthrough text 31 a and images 30. The member can also enter facts thatrelating to the photograph that visually describes the member's lifeevent. As seen in FIG. 6 a, the member enters information 31 b relatingto the year the photograph was taken and a description of thephotograph. The photograph is also labeled by life event 33.

The visual narration 32 illustrates a member's life story. The visualnarration is accessible by other members of the social network. Themember's visual narration may be viewed any member who also has a visualnarration. As seen in FIG. 6 b, another member can act as a witness tothe life event and provide a comment on one of the plurality of amember's life events to validate the events. The member's comment 34 isdisplayed separately from the visual narration. When another memberprovides a comment regarding a member's particular event, that commentis validated prior to being displayed. Optionally, a member may onlycomment on another's member's visual narration if that member also has avisual narration. The member's comment may be validated by documentaryevidence. Documentary evidence may include other photographs taken atthe event, vital record certificates (births, deaths, marriages,divorces), correspondence (letters, postcards, emails), and programs(graduation, marriage, funerals). As those skilled in the artunderstand, additional types of documentary evidence can be used such asdata from public or private database records.

FIG. 7 a illustrates the connection between an individual's life eventand another member who witnesses the life event. Other member's whowitness the life event can all be connected by that life event.Optionally, as illustrated in FIG. 7 b, once these members are connectedthey can then view other life threads. This is different than othersocial networks where the members are clustered and do not have accessoutside their cluster of connections. In the other social networks amember have restricted access to other member's profiles and cannot viewor comment on other members without permission.

FIG. 8 provides an example how one individual's life threads connects toother individual's life threads through each individual's life events.The connections to other individuals are represented by the lines. Asillustrated, Elvis Presley connects to Michael Jackson through LisaMarie. Each of the life threads are organized chronologically by lifeevents. As previously discussed, and illustrated by FIGS. 3 and 4, lifestages are broken down into life events. These life events arechronological ordered by text and images to form the visual narration ofthe individual's life thread. As illustrated in FIG. 8, MichaelJackson's life thread is connected to Elvis Presley's life thread byMichael's marriage to Lisa Marie. Elvis was married to Priscilla, whomay have acted as a witness to the marriage of Michael and Lisa, thedeath of Elvis, and the death of Michael Jackson. Lisa also may act as awitness to the death of her father or Michael Jackson.

The interactions are shown herein as arrowed, dashed, and solid lines.The links between the individuals can occur based through events wherethe individuals have physical interaction with each other. In situationswhere a link between individuals are witnessed or validated, the linkbetween the individuals can be given a greater weight. This weight canalso be increased using validation by public records such as a birthcertificate.

According to the above description, a computer-implemented method forarranging and converting a dataset into a graphical representation fordisplay is shown. At first, a dataset of individual's information and aset of the individual's life events are entered into a computer systemdatabase. The dataset and the life events are placed into chronologicalorder and outputted into the graphical representation for display as alife thread. Optionally, comments can be made by the individual orothers related to the life events. These comments can be verified bylinks to official documents or comments or attributions by witnesses.

Optionally, the plurality of first individual's life events can beformed from a second data set of information related to the one of theplurality of first individual's life events from a second individual,and linking the second data set to the first data set. The first dataset can be a computer storage structure such as a linked list.Optionally, an event can be formed from data related to one of theplurality of life events with data stored on a third computing device,using publically available documentary evidence. Validation of the firstindividual's information can be accomplished by comparing the firstindividual's information with comments by a second member. It isenvisioned that the linking events can include comparing the geographiclocation of the first and second individuals, or contact with a computersystem by at least one individual.

The method for displaying a graphical narration of the interaction offirst and second individuals can include storing in a first set ofdatabase locations a first set of events related to the firstindividual. The first set of events can then be placed intochronological order. A second set of database locations can beassociated with a second plurality of events related to the secondindividual. Afterward, the second plurality of events can be placed inchronological order. Linking at least one of the first plurality ofevents to one of the at least one of the second plurality of events isthen done. Optionally, the linking of at least one of the firstplurality of events to one of the at least one of the second pluralityof events can be the first individual giving attribution to at least oneof the second plurality of events. The linking of at least one of thefirst plurality of events to one of the at least second plurality ofevents can also be linking the events with a linking piece ofdocumentary evidence. Optionally, the documentary evidence is one ofmobile electronic device positional data, the interaction with thecomputer network, and a publically available document.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or featuresof a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be usedin a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.For example, it is envisioned multiple program languages such as PHP andRubie language while the data base can be programmed in MySQL andMongoDB. Optionally, wherever data entry by a “member” is indicatedherein, the data may be entered with respect to the member or individualby another. Further, it is envisioned than an individual within thesystem may not have knowledge that they are a subject of the system.Further, it is envisioned the computing devices can be personal ormainframe computers, or cell phones.

The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for arranging andconverting a dataset into a graphical representation for display, themethod comprising: entering a dataset of a first member's informationand a plurality of the first member's life events into a computersystem; entering a dataset of a second member's information and aplurality of the second member's life events into a computer system;receiving the dataset into a database; storing the dataset into thedatabase; wherein the database associating the dataset with theplurality of life events; and the dataset and the life events beingoutputted into the graphical representation for display as a life threadfor the member and the second member and interconnections therebetween.2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of awitness entering a comment on one of the plurality of life events, andstoring the comment in the database.
 3. A method according to claim 2,further comprising the step of validating the comment.
 4. A methodaccording to claim 3, wherein validating the comment comprises comparingthe comment to documentary evidence.
 5. A method of displaying agraphical narration of an interaction of first and second individuals,comprising: storing in a first set of database locations a firstplurality of events related to the first individual; ordering the firstplurality of events in a first chronological order; storing in a secondset of database locations a second plurality of events related to thesecond individual; ordering the second plurality of events in a secondchronological order; linking at least one of the first plurality ofevents to one of the at least one of the second plurality of events,displaying the first plurality of events as a first life thread;displaying a second plurality of events as a second life thread; anddisplaying the links between the first and second life threads.
 6. Themethod according to claim 5, wherein the linking of at least one of thefirst plurality of events to one of the at least one of the secondplurality of events is the first individual giving attribution to atleast one of the second plurality of events.
 7. The method according toclaim 5, wherein the linking of at least one of the first plurality ofevents to one of the at least second plurality of events is linking theevents with a linking piece of documentary evidence.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 6, wherein the documentary evidence is one of mobileelectronic device positional data, the interaction with the computernetwork, and a publically available document.
 9. The method according toclaim 5, wherein the first plurality of events comprises a life event.10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the life event is one of abirth, graduation, marriage, and death.
 11. The method according toclaim 5, wherein the first plurality of events is entered by the firstindividual.